YOUR CART

Tradition Two in AA 12 x 12 page 116.‘For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority – a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.’Callback no. 641 715 3900 pin no. 95666#

Donations are needed for the website upkeep. Please send to:

Stephanie WhitingPO Box 531North Pembroke MA 02358

Back-up SecretaryStephanie suggests you pray about volunteering for this post. She explains: ‘Ashira and Angela urgently need someone to act as a back-up in case one or both of them are unavailable to take down the questions. They send their work to Sue who in turn sends it out to each of you – a beautiful cycle of service. You only get out of your process what you put into it. Putting service into something ensures that you are going to get a lot out of it.’ Any queries e-mail angelaprice@phonecoop.coop

SOUL WORKlook up: trusted, servant, govern.Q1. How committed are you to your Big Book recovery and to the Big Book workshop group? How willing are you to support your group and each other in this group?

Q2. Who is your ultimate authority, i.e. who are you bowing down to?

Is it your Higher Power, your sponsor or what your group dictates?

Q3. Are you going to group conscience business meetings?

If you see a person is controlling the group and/or group conscience are you bold enough to bring it up?

If you do not have free speech to talk about the God of your understanding are you bold enough to bring that up?

Q4. Are you disrespecting certain people in the group because: a) they don’t do things the way you do, b) they don’t believe the way you do, c) you have reason to think they are not worthy of your time and energy. Write down: Take what you want and file the rest.

Q5. What does ‘a loving God’ mean to you?

Q6.As the meeting chairperson and facilitator are you going in there as a trusted servant?

AA 12 x 12 Step Two page 33 paragraph beginning: ‘Few indeed are the practicing alcoholics who have any idea how irrational they are…’ until end of the step ‘…an assurance that God will restore us to sanity if we rightly relate ourselves to Him.’*Stephanie suggests we make one call a day to someone on the Big Book contacts list.*God will show you what is right/not right for you in your walk and in your life in recovery. Stephanie respects all of our journeys and everything she says is a suggestion.

Soul work

Look up: suggestion, workshop, irrational, abetted, sanity.

Q1. Write on what it means to you to be given a suggestion?

Q2. What is a workshop? b) What is a 12-step meeting? c) How are they alike and how are they different?

Q3. What is the benefit of having: a) a study buddy?b) a study buddy group?[Answer this question irrespective of whether or not you have a buddy/buddy group]In no deep or meaningful sense had we ever taken stock of ourselves, made amends to those we had harmed or freely given to any other human being without any demand for reward. We had not even prayed rightly.

Q4. Take this sentence/concept, dig deep and then write on it.We had always said “Grant me my wishes” instead of “Thy will be done.’” The love of God and man we understood not at all. Therefore we remained self-deceived, and so incapable of receiving enough grace to restore us to sanity.

Q5. Write on this. Few indeed are the practicing alcoholics who have any idea how irrational they are, or seeing their irrationality can bear to face it. Some will be willing to term themselves “problem drinkers,” but cannot endure the suggestion that they are in fact mentally ill.

Q6. Write on what it means to be mentally ill.

Q7. Write on the difference between sane drinking and alcoholism and give examples of people in your life who can drink sanely and those who drink alcoholically. Yet not alcoholic, soberly analyzing his destructive behavior, whether the destruction fell on the dining-room furniture or his own moral fiber, can claim “soundness of mind” for himself.’

Q8. Do you have soundness of mind today?Therefore, Step Two is the rallying point for all of us. Whether agnostic, atheist or former believer, we can stand together on this step. True humility and an open mind can lead us to faith, and every AA meeting is an assurance that God will restore us to sanity if we rightly relate ourselves to Him.

Q9.Write on this.Can you truthfully walk arm-in-arm with an agnostic, atheist, former believer or somebody who is really gung ho for their belief? Can you accept everybody in all four categories when they talk of it in a 12-step meeting and be comfortable when, for instance, they say that tree or this group is my higher power?]

• The only requirement to participate in an open study-buddy group is to announce yourself. And if you have not done the work, just add, after announcing yourself: (Hello) “I’m just listening today.”

AA 12 x 12 Step 2 Page 32 (1953 edition) Halfway through paragraph which begins‘To the clergymen...’ until end of the paragraph ‘…enough grace to restore us to sanity.’Soul work

‘In both cases, we had been asking something for nothing.’ Q1. Have I been trying to get something for nothing?‘In no deep or meaningful sense had we ever taken stock of ourselves, made amends to those we had harmed, or freely given to any other human being without any demand for reward. We had not even prayed rightly. We had always said ‘Grant me my wishes’ instead of ‘They will be done.’” The love of God and man we understood not at all. Therefore we remained self-deceived and so incapable of receiving enough grace to restore us to sanity.’

Q2. Write on how it is lack of humility to say: Grant my wishes. A humble person will say ‘Thy will be done’. Write about how it makes you feel in your gut when you are told you can’t say grant me something.

Q3. What does it mean to be a gimme gimme type of person? Are you one? It is not black and white. Be honest. Remember you are writing your fourth step here. even though we are on step two. All of this gut level writing is going to make the biggest difference in your life, right here and now.

(week 114) 6th March 2014 12-step Study Big Book WorkshopAA 12 x 12 Step 2 page 32 paragraph starting: ‘To clergymen, doctors, friends, and families, the alcoholic who means well and tries hard is a heartbreaking riddle…’ until end of the paragraph: ‘…and so incapable of receiving enough grace to restore us to sanity.’Soul worklook up: emotionalism.To clergymen, doctors, friends, and families, the alcoholic who means well and tries hard is a heartbreaking riddle. To most AA’s, he is not. There are too many of us who have been just like him, and have found the riddle’s answer. This answer has to do with the quality of faith than its quantity. This has been our blind spot. We supposed we had humility when really we hadn’t. Q1. Underline this and then write on it.Really go into meditation with this.If Stephanie followed you around would she see a person who has integrity around your addiction? Your relationships: do you lie? Are you doing something you know is not right and covering it up? Are you saying you do Quiet Time when you don’t? Do you want to do Quiet Time yet don’t make time for it? Do you want to have God in your life but fight it?

Q2. Go into meditation with the 3rd Step prayer and write on this:What does quality of faith mean to you rather than quantity?Q3. Do you truly know what humility is?Knowing about humility is important, but to what degree are you living it? Write out (as long as you want) on your own definition of humility. Q4. Do you feel uncomfortable when you are not living in humility?Q5. Do you know how to ‘act as if’? We supposed we had been serious about religious practices when, upon honest appraisal, we found we had been only superficial. Or, going to the other extreme, we had wallowed in emotionalism and had mistaken it for true religious feeling. In both cases, we had been asking something for nothing. Q6. Write down the above. It is OK to imperfectly/superficially do religious or spiritual practices. Stephanie is Living Proof. So don’t give up!It is so important to have Quiet Time every day. Bring the body and the mind will follow and then eventually the heart. Q7. Where are you today in your walk in being humble? Is there anybody in your life that you feel deserves your un-forgiveness? ​

Our live phone meetings are every Thursday at 8:00 AM EST. The phone number for these live meetings is (712) 775-7031, and the meeting ID number is 714744988#.

Please send donations to support the website to:

Stephanie Whiting P O Box 531 North Pembroke MA 02358

You can listen to our recorded meetings at (641) 715-3900, pin 95666# for our Thursday Big Book Step Study workshop. You can also hear our Tuesday Big Book Study recordings at (641) 715-3900, pin 298913#. These meetings can be accessed at any time.